In the period drama -- costarring Viola Davis and Ahna O'Reilly -- Stone appears as recent college grad Skeeter, who returns to her hometown of Jackson, Miss., in 1962, then writes a book about the lives of the African-American nannies who raised her and her friends. Us Weekly film critic Thelma Adams declares the flick "an instant classic that's faithful to the novel -- and will also inspire new fans."

But don't just take it from Us: Stone herself hopes fans will enjoy the film just as much as she enjoyed making it. "I wish every work experience could be like [filming The Help]," she gushed to reporters at the film's premiere Tuesday in Beverly Hills. "People always tend to think that if there are a lot of women, it must be catty or it must be tough, and it wasn't at all! It was an insanely great experience that I wish I could repeat every summer for the rest of my life!"

If you prefer to stay close to home, fire up your DVRs and catch ABC Family's new teen drama The Lying Game, which premieres on Monday.

On the new series, spoiled Sutton (Alexandra Chando) is reeling from big news: She's adopted and has an identical twin (who happens to live nearby), humble foster kid Emma (Chando, again). Things get complicated when Sutton asks her sis to post as herself while she finds their birth mom. Then Sutton vanishes! Praises Us TV critic John Griffiths: "Chando nails her demanding dual role."